


Wisps of a story

by Thesuspiciousflyingjellyfish



Series: Inktober 2020 SanCor fest [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Final Fantasy XV, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Late 1800s, Literature, Nature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thesuspiciousflyingjellyfish/pseuds/Thesuspiciousflyingjellyfish
Summary: Inktober prompt #2: WispCor was wandering the forest when he came across a girl reading out loud to her companion
Relationships: Sansa Stark/Cor Leonis
Series: Inktober 2020 SanCor fest [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948696
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Wisps of a story

**Author's Note:**

> Set late 1800s, almost Anne with an E-esque

The trees creaked and swayed in the breeze, the woods humming with life in the late summer air. Birds chirped and whistled above his head, fluttering through the leaves, as he trudged through the wilderness. His brown boots crunched on the forest debris, as he watched the dappled sunlight filter over the land under the trees’ canopy.

Cor was able to take a break from helping his dad and mum around the house, and desperately wanted to explore the woods around their new home. They had only been in town for a couple of weeks, so busy with unpacking that Cor wasn’t able to find time to go around and adventure.

At 14, Cor couldn’t say he was unhappy with the move, feeling indifferent to his place of birth. There wasn’t any children his age, all too old or too young. So he spent most of his time around his parents. But this new town seemed to be packed with so many different people of all ages. He had spotted a group of boys around his age, and his father had nudged him to go join them, but his shyness over took his curiosity, and he stayed with his parents instead.

A voice then began to filter into his hearing, and he stopped in his tracks. Leaning his head in the direction it’s coming from, as if that would help him pinpoint the voice, he started to take softer steps towards it. His father was a trapper and hunter, selling his wares, and Cor had been coming along since he was 10, being taught on how to quiet his steps so that he doesn’t startle the prey. This skill came in handy as he followed the soft voice, carried on the breeze to him.

As he neared, he came to an end of the tree line into a small meadow, with tall grass, becoming golden in the late sunlight. There were wildflowers dancing with them, pinks, yellows, and blues flowing in the air, as the owner of the voice sat in the middle of it all. He only had a side profile of the girl, with hair like melted copper, wisps of it moved like smoke around her face. The sunlight haloed it, making her look heavenly, picturesque, in the natured background.

He couldn’t stop his eye widening at the sight of her as she continued to speak, her face pale and smiling, as she read from a book. It was like a scene from a book his mother used to read to him as a child. Like a princess meeting her knight in some beautiful landscape. Though normally the princess doesn’t have a massive dog laying in her lap, napping under the warm sun, content to hear her voice.

Her voice like a small bell, ringing throughout the meadow, but not loud enough to be jarring, like the large bell tower in town. She almost sang out her words at times, or added emphasise. Her face made expressive movements, as if she was the characters, acting out scenes alone.

He was utterly mesmerised.

And that meant that the hand holding the branch in front of his face, parting it so he could observe her, decided to snap under his continued pressure. He flinched from the sound and held the branch in hand, baffled, before dropping it in annoyance and whipping his head back up.

He froze at the sight of the girl, now looking at him. Her large dog had it’s ears perked up, alert and at the ready to leap. It’s yellow eyes pierced through him,and he distantly thought, ‘ _That isn’t fully dog_.’ Mind a little hysterical at the thought of the creature being a mix of wolf.

“Oh!” The girl’s voice had him turning his attention back to her. She had her book lowered and was watching him with recognition and curiosity. “You’re Mrs Leonis’ son.”

“I am-I.” Blinking a little rapidly, he tried to remember his manners, “I’m sorry for watching you like that. I heard your voice and was curious.” He grimaced at himself, cursing at how suspicious he sounded.

Standing up from her seat in the grass, she smiled at him, and Cor felt the air leave his lungs for a brief second. “I won’t say it’s completely fine, but you seem harmless.”

Her light blue woollen dress was simplistic, with a grey linen pinafore over the top. Now standing, he could see the faint detailed embroidery on it, and mused that she and her mother would get on well. The lightly puffed sleeves let him know she either isn’t of high standing, or it is a dress meant specifically for playing. Then Cor shook himself back to the present, blurting out,

“How did you know who I was?”

She slipped her book into a pocket of her dress and clasped her hands in front of her, “I met your mother last market day, looking over her lovely wares. She truly has such talent, you know. You wouldn’t have seen me, as you were busy with your father loading boxes for another stall.”

“Ah, alright then.” Though he felt a puff at pride at her acknowledging how skilled his mother was, liking her craft. The wolf-dog then made a low woof, and Cor’s eyes automatically darted to the creature, nerves flickering to life again.

She crouched back down to it and gave it’s head a gentle stroke. The wolf-dog’s tail wagged in delight, thumping softly on the ground.“Are you afraid of her?” She asked curiously.

“I mean, she seems a little wary of me, most likely ready to protect you if need be.” He said, finding a way around from saying ‘ _yes_!’.

Standing up again, she made a gesture for him to come closer, giving him an encouraging smile, “You can pet her if you wish, just hold your hand out to her.”

Trepidation filled him, but he pushed through it and slowly walked forward. At this point the canine slowly rose and rose and _rose_. Definitely taller than normal dogs could get, but not as big as wolves, and he’s seen some. Her coat was a mixture of rusted brown and cream, creating a beautiful colour of fur. When she reached him, he dutifully held his hand out, and the warm breath brushed his skin, before a tongue lightly darted out. 

Cor broke into an unsure smile, slowly stroking her muzzle and then started to scratch under her chin. The wolf-dog then sat down, and daintily placed her paw into his hand. It was larger than his.

He murmured, not taking his eyes off of her. “What is her name?”

“Her name is Lady.” Looking up, he spotted how fond she was of the animal, but there was a hesitance. The name maybe? That would be understandable, as such a name seemed more fitting for a smaller dog than one that was half wolf.

Not wanting to discourage her, Cor looked down at how gentle the wolf-dog was, eagerly nuzzling into his hand, but not hard enough to shove him, as if she was aware of her own strength. He happily returned to petting her, feeling more confident. “She most certainly has the manners for one.”

The smile that lit up her face was everything. It mimicked the bright warm of the sun around them and once again he felt breathless. Clearing his throat, trying to ignore how hot his ears felt, he pointed to the book hidden in her pocket.

“What were you reading?”

Smile still on her face, she took it back out and showed him the title. In between the pages, marking her place, was a dried flower and Cor couldn’t help how charmed he was.

“Jane Eyre.”

Eye brows rising in recognition, Cor said, “Oh, I’ve seen my mother reading some of Austen’s works.”

“Have you read any?”

Head shaking, “Not yet. I’m currently reading Treasure Island though.”

Her eyes lit up, “That’s my brother’s favourite.” She informed him, gleeful at a similarity. H’s lips quirked up into a smile at how such small, simple things brought her joy.

She looked down at her book, rubbing her thumb over the cover. Her joyful demeanour wilted into one of shyness as she asked, looking up from under her lashes,“Would, you like me to read it out to you?”

He shook his head, “I wouldn’t want you to have to go from the beginning again.” He knew how much his mother would hate to go all the way back to the beginning, and thought that this girl would be like that too.

But she disagreed, insisting, “That’s alright, I don’t mind.”

However he was firmer, “No, really. Just continue where you left off, it sounded interesting.”

She gave him a curious expression before nodding decisively, and settled onto the ground again, elegantly fixing her dress to cover her legs. Lady trotted back to her master, resting her massive head back onto the girl’s lap. Looking back up at him, she gestured to a space on her left,“Will you be sitting by my side, or by the tree line again?”

“By your side, if you’ll have me?” He asked, gazing into her earnest, blue eyes. Something charged in the air when their eyes met, but Cor couldn’t place what.

She gazed back, “Of course.” She breathed.

Settled in the meadow, leaning back on his elbow o his side, facing her, he watched as she sat primly. She had a strange mixture of elegance and childish wildness, which he thought was a beautiful mixture for her.

Her ocean blue eyes fixed on the words, she speaks into the air around them, breathing life into the words.

“‘ _Sometimes I have the strangest feeling about you. Especially when you are near me as you are now. It feels as though I had a string tied here under my left rib where my heart is, tightly knotted to you in a similar fashion. And when you go, with all that distance between us, I am afraid that this cord will be snapped, and I shall bleed inwardly._ ’”

She continued on, and they sat under the warm late summer air, the trees like a symphony, the girls voice a conductor. It isn’t until they are a few pages in that Cor realised he never got her name, and she his. He decided he would tell her, after. Because to interrupt her storytelling would be like stopping the ocean from moving. Impossible, and reluctant to even try to stop such beauty.


End file.
